My Irish romance
MY romance with the Irish people, and the English language, culture and education began when I was six years old. I remember very well when my illiterate father handed me over to one of the Irish nuns. Though he could not speak a word of English, somehow the nun understood him.
She took my small hand and led me off to class. My heart was thumping so loudly I imagined it was going to jump out of my throat. I was terrified that I wouldn’t see my mother ever again.
But I did not cry. It was much later when I could not see my mother’s face among the crowd waiting outside the classroom that I let loose the hot tears that I had been bravely holding back.
So began my very English and western education in the hands of the devoted and selfless Catholic nuns, who came all the way to then Malaya to set up mission schools. Many of them died here. For 11 years I was schooled in all things western, though we were taught our national language, Bahasa Kebangsaan, and the Negara Ku, which the Irish nuns could sing better than most Malaysians today.
From a very early age, I was introduced to the folk music and dance culture of the Irish, but the literature that was introduced was mostly English. The nuns would have us read original poetry and literary texts of great writers like Dickens. It was only at university that I discovered Celtic mythology, and the great Irish writers and poets who have fascinated me.
I was exposed to the Catholic faith right from the time I stepped into the mission. Although I was never influenced, somehow the universal Christian values stayed in my psyche. The church’s tradition of telling bible stories helped me develop my love for writing and telling stories.
Pages: 1 2